Window cleaning, garage sorting, boat cleaning ... the list of jobs on people’s to-do list is usually long, and there’s never time to do it.

These are also times of unemployment and underemployment — and with the culture of entrepreneurship strong in Bermuda, Stafford Lowe has founded a new venture to bring jobs and job seekers together.

It’s called Jobber.bm.

Mr Lowe said: “Jobber.bm is a new ‘job auction’ website designed to connect the people who are struggling with their to-do lists of jobs with the heroes in their local communities who are able to help them out.

“The website operates a bidding system where a job ‘poster’ can advertise the task they need help with and the maximum price that they’re willing to pay, and ‘jobbers’ can then put forward a bid to try to win the job. The poster remains completely anonymous to everyone except the jobber the poster ends up choosing for the job.”

Just one month old, the website has taken off beyond Mr Lowe wildest expectations with almost 200 people signing up for it, and several jobs completed.

“And we have five to 10 new jobbers signing up every day,” he said.

“If the poster doesn’t like any of the bids they have received, they can just let the job auction expire and re-post it again later.”

Those people who have signed up will receive e-mail alerts whenever a job in an area they have expressed interest is posted, so they can bid right away.

He said: “While jobbers are encouraged to bid aggressively, posters are often very discerning about reading both the jobbers’ personal statements and the specific reasons they put forward in their bid for why they should be chosen.

“It’s not really about which jobber is willing to do the job for the least amount of money, but more about finding the best person available to help at a price that’s fair.”

The tech-savvy founder of the site is also making full use of social media with a Facebook page that runs pictures and descriptions of jobs done.

He explained that he make his money through commissions. “The website is currently completely free for everyone to use, but we will ultimately charge the job posters an ‘auction fee’ of ten percent of the winning bid. If they don’t end up choosing a jobber to help them, then they don’t pay the auction fee.”

Mr Lowe said: “We’ve been up and running for a few weeks and the website has really started to take off. This weekend we saw $810 of cash in hand work get earned from five successfully completed jobs.”

Mr Lowe explained he has experience in the field as while he was living in the United Kingdom he worked at a headhunting firm in the financial services part of the sector.

This goes a step further. “Part of Jobbers is embracing the technology side of things,” he said.

Mr Lowe explained how the idea developed.

He said he and his Bermudian wife Laura, who have been here for about a year after living and working in London and New York, came up with the concept.

“We were used to a different service environment in London and New York,” he said, explaining that almost anywhere else, if you order takeout food, someone will deliver it, for example.

“The amazing thing is that Bermuda is typically entrepreneurial. And in Bermuda there are a lot of things people could be doing for each other.” The idea of a new job market emerged, he said.

I need my deck power washing, I need my car washing, I need a handyman — and you can extend it further. I need my dry cleaning picking up — and someone sees that posting and says — ‘I’m driving past the dry cleaner, I can do it’.

“You create a market for these one-off jobs,” he said.

Mr Lowe has been encouraged by his work with the Bermuda Business Development Association (BDA) on new development initiatives.

The organisation is finding new ways for Bermuda to push itself outside the traditional areas of insurance, reinsurance and financial services.

“There are some really interesting initiatives that are being explored,” he said.

“BDA wants to connect with people who have ideas and want to make them happen,” he said.

“I feel bullish about Bermuda,” he said, saying there is an openness to innovation here — but breaking out of the traditional mindset is crucial.

“For myself I’ve always focused on technology,” and said he sees the possibility of creating Bermuda as a technology hub.

The one drawback is that “we don’t have a natural pool of software developers. Kids should go into this field,” he said.

Bermuda’s mid-Atlantic geographical location also plays a big role in the opportunities that are available.

“How much has the world changed? You never thought you’d be running your life from your iPhone. Which segueways nicely into Jobber,” he said.

Initially, the couple posted jobs they needed to do on the Jobber website. From deck cleaning to kite building, Mr Lowe has had people bid on jobs just minutes after he’s posted them.

“It’s the free market at work.”

For more information go to Jobbers’ Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/Jobber.bm and Jobber.bm.